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Cale permit approved
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Meet county commissioner candidates
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Sports
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October 15, 2008
Vot. 76, No. 42 Hertford, North Carotioa 27944
^^News from Next Door”
A TEACHER OF
Photo courtesy PERQUIMANS COUNTY SCHOOLS
CENTRAL SCHOOL TEACHER LISA Jones (floral blouse) got a surprise Monday when she was named Teacher of the Year by the
Elizabeth City Wal-Mart Store by Store Manager Chris Evans, Training Supervisor Diane Hollowell and Personnel Manager Pa
tricia Crank as her principal, Sylvia Johnson, and superintendent. Dr. Dwayne Stallings look on.
Wal-Mart names Jones Teacher of Year
Teachers say there is no
such thing as a typical day.
No douht that was true
for Lisa Jones on Monday,
when she was surprised
with the news that she has
been named Teacher of the
Year by the Wal-Mart Store
in Elizabeth City.
“It’s not just an award
for me. It’s an award for my
students, my colleagues
and my school....many
of the reasons I am such
an enthusiastic teacher,’’
■ Jones said. “I am proud to
be a member of the team
that makes Perquimans
County Schools so success
ful.”
The Central School edu
cator is a national board
certified teacher who has
served local students for
the past nine years.
Jones received a $1,000
grant for the schools and a
$100 gift card to buy class
room supplies. She was
also presented a personal
ized certificate.
“Mrs. Lisa Jones stands
out as a leader in the edu
cational arena,” said Prin
cipal Sylvia Johnson. “She
works coUaboratively with
everyone to help create a
professional learning en
vironment at Perquimans
Central School. Mrs. Jones
mirrors the caliber of edu
cator teaching in the school
district in Perquimans
County.”
“Lisa Jones is very de
serving of the recognition
of Wal-Mart Teachec of
the Year,” said Superinten
dent Dr. Dwayne Stallings.
“She is a dedicated, engag
ing and effective teacher
who willingly shares her
vision, energy and skills
with students, parents and
colleagues.” '
The award was present
ed by Elizabeth City Wal-
Mart Store Manager Chris
Evans, Training Supervi
sor Diane Hollowell, and
Personnel Manager Patri
cia Crank.
Over the next few days,
Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club
associates across the coun
try will announce teacher
winners. One teacher is
selected by each Wal-Mart
Store, Sam’s Club, Neigh
borhood Market Store and
Wal-Mart Distribution Cen
ter, through nominations
by members of the com
munity during August and
selected by a committee of
facility associates. Nation
wide more than 4,000 teach
ers are being honored.
“Our area has fantas
tic teachers,” said Evans.
“We are pleased to honor
Lisa Jones as the Teacher
of the Year to share this
great news with our com
munity.”
Since the Wal-Mart
Teacher of the Year pro
gram began 1995, the
Wal-Mart Foundation has
honored more than 30,000
teachers nationwide and
donated more than $29 mil
lion to> schools. Last year
more than $67 million was
provided in support of edu
cational initiatives.
Hail to the (new) chief
Perquimans Weekly photo by CATHY WILSON
SUPERIOR COURT CLERK TODD Tilley administers the oath
of office to Hertford's new police chief, Joe Amos, as Town
Manager John Christensen watches. Amos comes to Hertford
from the Mt. Gilead Police Department and with 11 years
of experience in law enforcement. His wife, Bobbi, is also a
school resource officer and an instructor holding a training
coordinator certification. Amos is a specialized instructor for
the state, he said. They are the parents of a 10-year-old boy.
WuatBt
Thursday
High: 87 Low: 61
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 73 Low: 53
Few Showers
Saturday
High: 67 Low: 47
Few Showers
Teens charged with sex crime
'89076»47143
SUSAN HARRIS
Three area teens were arrested on Oct.
2 and charged with sex crimes.
Blayne Kime, 19, 1068 Belvidere Road;
George Weber, 19, 504 N. Broad Street,
Edenton; and Michael Bragg, 18, Yeopim
Road, Edenton aU face allegations of sex
ual misconduct.
According to Sheriff Eric TiUey the
three males “got up with” the female.
Alcohol and marijuana were allegedly
involved, he said. At some point, the fe
male passed out, and there were allegedly
sexual advances made, pictures taken
and drawings made on the female’s body
while she was passed out.
Later, the males feared something was
wrong with the girl and they rushed her
to Albemarle Hospital. Hospital person
nel contacted the sheriff’s department
and an investigation began.
Kime was charged with second degree
sex offense and placed under a $30,000 se
cured bond. Weber and Bragg were each
. -it .'Ly&V',i.
charged with aggravated assault with
sexual battery and placed under secured
bonds of $1,000 and $500, respectively.
Another pair of teens faces felony lar
ceny charges after allegedly robbing local
businesses.
Lance Michael Castro of 606 Dobbs
Street and Tyshawn Whidbee of 232 Jop
pa Road, Belvidere, are both charged with
breaking and entering and felony larceny
stemming from thefts at Larry’s Drive-Inn
and the laundry business at Perquimans
Village Shopping Center. Whidbee also
stands accused of the same charges in
connection with an incident at Country
Kettle Restaurant.
In Perquimans County District Court
on Oct. 8, both had a first appearance on
one count each of breaking and entering
and felony larceny. Whidbee waived prob
ably cause on two additional counts of
each charge, and Castro on one. The cases
upon which probable cause was waived
will be heard in Perquimans County Su
perior Court.
PCHS takes
quick action
on theft, fire
SUSAN HARRIS
Three Perquimans Coun
ty High School students
were suspended last week
after allegedly ransacking
a locker room during a vol
leyball match and stealing
about $200 from visiting
athletes.
Schools Public Informa
tion Officer Brenda Las
siter said the trio allegedly
entered the locker room
where the visiting Cam
den players had left their
personal items during the
match, and took about $200.
Athletic Director Mike
Horwat was told about the
incident as soon as the
match was over and the
Camden team returned to
the locker room. Horwat
immediately notified Prin
cipal James Bunch, who
was also still at the school.
The match ended just be
fore 8:30 p.m.
Bunch and Horwat were
aware that the area of the
theft was covered by the
school’s new security sys
tem, which includes video
surveillance.
On Wednesday, the vid
eo from the cameras was
reviewed. Three male stu
dents were recorded par
ticipating in the incident.
Bunch suspended the stu
dents from school, athletic
events and extra-curricu
lar activities, Lassiter said.
The newspaper has learned
that they were underclass
men, athletes and under
age 16. Names could not
be released by the school
system under state privacy
laws.
In addition. Bunch is
sued both verbal and writ
ten apologies to the vis
iting team. The school
reimbursed the funds taken
from the Camden players.
The incident was the
second involving serious
infractions of the student
code of conduct at the
school last week. On Mon
day, the school was evacu
ated due to a small trash
can fire in a restroom in the
school’s new gymnasium
wing.
After a student notified
faculty members of smell
ing smoke, the teachers re
sponded quickly, dousing
the flames with a fire ex
tinguisher in minutes. The
fire was contained to the
trash can.
Firefighters responded
and set up equipment to
clear smoke from the build
ing, while fire marshall
Mark Rogerson determined
that the fire was intention
ally set.
The student determined
responsible for the incident
by a review of video from
surveillance cameras cov
ering that area of the build
ing was suspended. She
could not be identified by
school officials due to state
privacy laws.
According to Sheriff
Eric Tilley, as of Monday,
juvenile petitions have not
been filed against the stu
dents involved in the inci
dents.
The schools said that
Deputy Stacey Mitchell, the
school resource officer, as
sisted in the investigation
of the incidents.
Tilley said Monday he
New security
system IDs
suspects fast
SUSAN HARRIS
Perquimans County
High School’s new security
system proved its worth
twice last week.
The alleged perpetrators
in last Monday’s bathroom
trashcan fire and last Tues
day’s locker room theft
were identified soon after
each incident, and high
school Principal James
Bunch acted swiftly to en
force discipline policies.
While past efforts to de
termine the alleged culprit
in school incidents were
very dependent on wit
nesses coming forward and
interviews with students
and staff, the initial inves
tigations of the latest inci
dents were quicker thanks
to the video surveillance
component of the school’s
new security system.
The system provides live
and archived data and is
extremely flexible and easy
to use. Digital video record
ing technology has revolu
tionized the security and
surveillance of the school
buildings and grounds.
Fed by cameras, the crys
tal-clear footage recorded
on a digital system enables
school security personnel
to observe even the most in
conspicuous details — such
as a small object changing
hands between two stu
dents. With strategic place
ment of cameras, schools
can observe individuals
continuously as,they make
their way around campus.
The system was a part
of the renovation of PCHS
and provides 32 cameras
throughout the campus
and parking lots. Admin
istrators using the system
may stream video to users
located anywhere in the
district, offering non-cen-
tralized viewing and re
cording options.
“School officials have
been well pleased with the
resrdts of the security sys
tem and the additional ben
efit of archived data which
assists with investigating
incidents such as those
school officials faced this
past week,” said schools
Public Information Officer
Brenda Lassiter.
The surveillance system
does not take the place
of interviews and other
evidence-gathering, but is
used in tandem with those
techniques. As it makes
initial identification of
alleged culprits in an in
cident much quicker and
more sure, it allows school
personnel to isolate some
one who may pose a poten
tial threat to the safety of
others in the building or to
proceed with appropriate
action against those who
are shown accountable on
videotape.
was not in town for part of
last week, and planned to
contact Bunch to review the
incidents and determine if
further action is warrant
ed. All the students could
have juvenile petitions filed
against them.